It was with nothing short of worry as Clarisse watched Ariadnê fight against the skeleton warriors and ghosts that had been summoned for her. It was with a single-minded determination as she released all of her frustrations and anger while she pummeled them into the dirt.

Three years of her life were gone, and who knows how many more may come since Thalia told them of being immortal. It was a frustrating ordeal as Percy had loudly argued within the grove that he had rejected immortality once; no one should force him to be something that he did not want to be.

It had taken weeks for him to accept it though as he knew the curse of eternity was the only thing keeping his sister on the mortal plane.

All of them understood her frustration though. She had awakened from a coma after trying to help the paramour of her currently unrequited lover. It had done nothing, but prove to her that she should have just minded her own business.

And then Clarisse had watched her cry on the steps of Apóllōn's temple after receiving news that Huákinthos had succumbed to his injuries. All that work to make sure that Apóllōn would never know that pain and she had failed. She couldn't even be pleased. The prince had been a thorn in her side since the day she realized that she was in the same timeline as him. In her frankly childish mind, she was infuriated that he was keeping Apóllōn away from as if the god was a toy.

But she only felt hollow because she could admit to herself that she started to see him as a reluctant friend. She had categorized him in the same box that she had once placed Chase in. Now he was gone, and despite her efforts, there was nothing she could do about it.

Ariadnê had told Clarisse it felt like the Moirai was punishing her for saving Amphion and Zethus. As if they were waving her failure around, telling her that she couldn't save everyone. How could she have Apollôn fall in love with her if every time she thought of him; the only thing she could see was his eyes widening in horror as the quoit struck her in the head? How could she eventually face him and know that the last time had led to trauma?

If Clarisse did not know her so well, she would have suspected that the younger was giving up on her love. Fortunately, she did know her. She also knew that Ariadnê was not worried about answers pertaining to her, but more so for Apollôn and his feelings.

For once, Clarisse would like the younger to put herself first.

Because even now, she was going to send herself right back into a coma if she did not relax. The episodes that she had at random intervals that made her snarl as her powers flickered through the air was frightening enough. It was too much for her body and the sudden eternal form that she held threw her off. It was like a frustrating circle of feedback as she apparently trained her body to let off power in small intervals. It had apparently helped when she had two different gods flowing through her because Apóllōn had told her that too much power could kill her.

(Not that the Moirai would have allowed her to die after going through so much trouble of making her the secret prophecy child. Yeah, she was not letting that go anytime soon.)

Will had been the last person to try to help her, mainly to keep her from choking on her tongue when she had fallen to the ground and started seizing. He had to be admitted to his own medical ward when he felt what Rachel claimed to be tell-tale signs of prophecy. The gift didn't stay. Not really. He was able to now sense on a better note if any of the operations that they use to perform surgery would end in death or not.

It was still very strange to see spirits giving out orders as deceased children of Háidēs worked alongside the living children of Apóllōn when they took over in his stead.

"Ariadnê," she called. Her friend slowed to a stop, turning to look at her. She was brimming in anger, though Clarisse knew that it was not directed at her. If the girl's brothers were there, she would be doing everything in her power to hide her emotions. The boys were feeling guilty about not being able to protect her as if she didn't wipe the floor with them.

"Take a break," she told her. Ariadnê stared for another moment, sighing as she nodded her head. The girl stretched lightly as she worked out her muscles so she wouldn't catch cramps as she walked over to her.

She wondered if the girl thought about the future like the rest of them. Percy had taken over her timeline board as he was adamant that he was going to take stress off of his sister. It was how they knew that the future was also fucked and that was not counting the changes she had made by saving Amphion, Zethus, and Krókos.

The Giant War had not happened yet and they didn't even know if Semelê was pregnant yet. Amphion had been incredibly excited when Zethus had dragged the girl to Castellan and none of them had sensed Ζεύς around the kingdom.

The two of them tensed, turning slightly as they heard screaming coming from Temple Hill. They shared a look before rushing towards the sound.

And just as it once happened in the future past, Clarisse found herself flinching when she heard the unmistakable sound of Ariadnê's sword dropping in fear.

Most people had not known that the other reason that Clarisse had refused to join the war effort was not just because of the honor of the Árēs cabin. That was just a self fulfilling prophecy of stereotypes that plagued their camp.

[It wasn't like she wanted to be a bully, but it was what was expected of the Árēs' cabin. A never-ending circle with Ariadnê being one of the first to look past that and see them as kids just as the same as them.]

The other reason had been the battle that was to happen between Ariadnê's and the sea monster named Cetus. It had originally been after Percy due to its death at the hands of his namesake, but the girl had always been protective of her brother. A slippery slope of codependency that no one would break her out of. Somehow she had managed to convince the beast that she was named Andromédē, mocking that even after a millennia nap... it still would not be strong enough to finish a job that it had so long ago.

The girl had been running from it for a while afterwards until the day she finally put her foot down and decided to have that battle. Clarisse wasn't even sure how her friend had managed to beat it after it showed up at camp since Ariadnê had told her to give chase to Silena with promises to join up later.

Whatever happened could not have been too long as Ariadnê had made it just in time to witness the final moments of Silena.

The ground shook before a bunch of bones and precious metals flew at the beast. Nico had joined the battle from wherever he was situated.

"Ariadnê," Clarisse called, turning to her friend. The girl looked at her, horror filled eyes met her own before they darted away back towards the monster. It was taking her an admirable amount of strength to not run away. "You don't have to be the one to do this."

Her voice was shaky as she replied, "It's here for—"

Clarisse scowled, "It's here just to be here. You haven't had a run in with it yet and it's got an expressway exit out of the pit. It's probably after your brother which isn't any better, but you still do not have to do this on your own."

Ariadnê froze.

Tears welled in her eyes. A small part of Clarisse was alarmed, but she knew all about the insecurities that the other girl. She knew how much she compares herself to her brother. The standard in which she held herself. She knew how the younger girl oozed confidence and self-assurance as if she was a goddess even amongst the gods, but she also knew how the other girl worked herself to exhaustion so that no one could feel weak or dependent. So that no one could feel how she did and so that no one could have the power to make her ever feel like she was the second best or the spare ever again.

Clarisse knew how much her friend secretly resented her parents and the world for not making her feel as important as her brother. They had been lucky that Luke had not managed to convince her to turn against them. "We can fight it together."

"It swallowed me," the other girl admitted with a grimace. A large shadow wrapped around it like a noose. "I used Jake Mason's Greek fire lighter and burned it from the inside out. Once I was free, I stabbed it in the eye with a solar flare arrow."

Power flowed under their feet as two thick vines emerged from the earth to restrain the monster. "How about we avoid getting eaten and just beat the thing," Katie called out. Clarisse and Ariadnê turned to see the girl, pressing her hands to the ground. The shadows and vines weaved together in an attempt to bring it down as Ketus thrashed. The mocha skinned girl smiled at them, "Come on Ariadnê. Prove to us why you were considered the female Bellerophóntēs."

The girl snorted as she picked up her sword. "I didn't kill Percy so that name is still wrong, and he was the one to face the chimera."

The vines began to bloom like Venus Flytraps, ensnaring the monster in its teeth. The people cried out as they rushed away before dropping through shadows as Nico sent them away to the underground base. Clarisse gave her friend one more encouraging look before she charged at the beast.

Ariadnê took a deep breath before she followed her friends.

"Father give me strength," the girl muttered under her breath before she jumped into the air. She landed on a water board before she flew around aiming for its face.

"KETUS," she called. Clarisse watched her almost freeze again in fear when the monster turned towards her. The girl visibly swallowed her nerves before she pointed her sword at its snout. "I am Ariadnê, daughter of Poseidón, and I command you to leave."

Cetus growled and blew boiling water at her. She yelped, moving out of the way before the water turned to the river. Percy stood alongside the shore, eyes narrowed as he looked at the monster whose teeth was much too close to his sister.

Katie flipped out of the way as Cetus tried to knock her down using his tail. "How did it get here without us knowing?"

Clarisse growled even as Nico's shadows turned into spikes that pierced its skin. A quick glance showed him covering Rachel and Chris as they escorted people to safety.

There was a resounding BOOM! that echoed around them before four different voices yelled in offense. Ariadnê was the closest so Clarisse could hear her clearly yelling, "Hey! That's my friend's temple!"

There was barely even a chance to look around before Clarisse dropped through a shadow and appeared on the other side of the river. Once she got her feet back under her after the displacement, she looked up to see a pile of stones where she had been standing. She grimaced as she realized that it was the temple of Hermês that was destroyed so thoroughly.

Clarisse had never cared about the eye of a hurricane, but looking at the way Ariadnê glared; she could understand better than any meteorologist. Her sword morphed until she was holding onto her trident, the bronze ends glinting dangerously under the sunlight.

Chains of water joined the shadows and vines as Percy, Nico, and Katie worked on keeping it away from the other temples.

Ariadnê's voice was tinged with anger as she let onto the head of the beast, "No one messes with my friend's stuff." She stabbed downwards, points of her weapon going directly into its eyes. "NOW!"

The different elements wrapped around the beast, pulling tighter and tighter around it. Ichor flowed through the eyes, boiling as Percy concentrated, forcing it to screech in pain. The shadows ripped into it, skinning it for all to see. Thorny vines moved around it, prickling it all the more until it looked nothing short of a seaweed wrap.

(Fighting did work up an appetite. Clarisse wondered if she could convince the others to put seaweed wraps and sushi on the menu. Was that cultural appropriation? They could do Drew's favored kind—temaki—in her honor as it was the favored dish of her culture.)

Clarisse and Ariadnê stabbed around the monster a few more dozen times to make sure that it was completely dead before turning to look at the others.

An amused smile appeared on Clarisse's face as she joked, "This should be good enough for dinner."


Bodies littered the ground at their feet as the soldier let his sword rest loosely in his hand. He eyed the girl in front of him, blood coating her nightgown as her red-rimmed eyes glared at filled with wrath.

"Move aside," he told her. "I do not want to fight you."

She held no weapon as she laughed, meeting with his words with derision. Her eyes glinted dangerously as her twin hovered in the air behind her in just the same. "I wouldn't want to fight me either."

He looked her over, noting the beauty that she held. She would look wonderful in his bed as a woman like her belonged. There were no shoes on her feet, hair swaying through the air of the early morn. There was no discomfort on her face as she stood before him as if there was nothing that could move her. Not even the gods themselves.

"You speak big for such a small thing," he said instead as she stalked forward slowly.

Her hands clenched around the air as he readied his sword. Her features curled in offense, "I am of average height you malakas."

"That is no way for a woman to speak, skropha," the warrior replied as her brother laughed above them.

The boy, Perseús, pushed the opposing warriors further away from them. For people that had chosen to stay neutral, they surely were participating a lot in the war.

"In what universe, tinker bell," her brother laughed.

The girl smiled cruelly, fangs glinting under the moonlight. "I am going to kick your ass from here to Neverland and back again if you do not stand down."

The warrior understood none of that, but it sounded like a challenge. He would show her what her place was no matter what she thought. He would break her spirit until she could do nothing more but lay still as his lust leaked from within her.

He readied his sword.

Her cheek emits a smile mingled with wrath, promises of death in her eyes. "You're in for a hell of a ride blondie."

And then she lunged.


Ariadnê shot up from her bed, chest heaving as the echoes of the dream faded away from her. She felt hands brushing at her hair, and somehow she was not surprised to see that it was Percy. Her brother looked at her as she was made of glass. A small twist of his hand, and water flowed through the window until it was the size of a tennis ball. She took it from him, placing it in mouth to drink.

"Are you okay," Percy questioned. She nodded solemnly, "What are you doing in here?"

He pointed at a bee that was buzzing around their heads. "Little guy woke me up and led me to you. You were lying so still I almost thought you stopped breathing."

She grimaced before turning her attention to the bee. She could only remember the bare traces of the dream, but she figured that the bee had something to do with that.

She scowled as she looked at the animal. "Go away. And tell whoever sent you to leave me alone. Do not plague my mind with whispers when I requested none of it."

The animal buzzed angrily at her before flying away and she huffed in frustration.

"Do you believe that to be wise, my daughter?"

The twins yelped in alarm, standing and spinning on their feet. Their breath caught as they caught sight of the familiar yet unfamiliar form of their Father standing by the doors of the room. His hair was longer than Ariadnê's, threaded into a single braid down his back, crowned with a wreath of wild celery. His eyes were very much like Krókos with one ocean blue and the other sea green. He wore the royal robes of the sea atop of chiton and his trident radiated pure power in his hand.

They folded themselves into a bow of the sea; one leg impossibly straight as the other was as if they were bent into a curtsy before folding backwards behind their other leg. One hand placed as if they were making a claw mark over their hearts while the other arm was bent as if they were holding onto a shield.

It had taken so many lessons for Ariadnê to learn how to perform it that didn't end with her face planting the ground. It was almost sickening how easily Percy picked it up, though that may have more to do with the fact that she taught him the bow while they had tails instead of legs.

"Dad," Percy breathed. Their Father smiled gently at them, curiosity in his eyes. Yet he still looked at them as if they were chlorastrolite stones in full forms.

"My children," he started as he made his way towards them. They rose slowly, Percy reaching out to stabilize her as she wobbled. "When the Moirai came to me with the truth, I didn't want to believe it. But look at you, Marella and Ondine." Star of the sea and little wave.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't realize how much she longed to hear that nickname from her Father again. The god wrapped them in his arms. They each clutched onto him tightly. "Do not cry, Ulas. I am here now." Jewels of the sea. "I will never leave you alone again."


Word Count: 3,157

Words to Know:

1) malakas - In ancient Greek, Malakia (μαλακία, "softness", "weakliness") meant moral weakness or "effeminacy". Malakas now is a commonly used profane Greek slang word, with a variety of different meanings, but literally meaning "man who masturbates". Common alternative meanings include "asshole", "motherfucker" "jerk" or "idiot", and the contrasting "dude", or "mate", depending on the context. It has been described as "the most used Greek slang word". Correct me if I'm wrong though!

2) skropha - A woman who treats others disrespectfully. I saw this one online so I'm not too sure about it, so take it with a grain of salt.

Things to Know:

1) Bellerophóntēs; real name: Hipponous, was a son of Poseidón.

2) Bellerophóntēs' story starts off by saying that he killed his brother by accident while practicing his knife-throwing. He was charged with murder and needed to be cleansed of the blood crime. He was then purified. The wife of the king that purified him made advances, but Bellerophóntēs turned her down, so she claimed that he made advances towards her. The king couldn't kill him because of xenia so he sent him off his Father-in-Law to kill, but then he was also afraid of violating xenia so he was like well, I want you to kill the Chímaira thinking he wouldn't survive but Bellerophóntēs with help from Athênê, tamed Pegasus and slayed the Chímaira. He then got so prideful thinking that because he killed the Chímaira that he deserved to fly to Olympos and Ζεύς was like "uh, no." so he set a gadfly to sting Pegasus who reared back and threw Bellerophóntēs off of him.

3) The Chímaira was another victim of misgendering. And her name even means she-goat!


Comments from the Author:

1) The triad of bee maidens are prophetic via Hermês, but Ari would never disrespect him like that. BUT Apóllōn has a son named Aristaîos (who was an uncle by marriage to Dionysos) in Boeotia, where he was "the pastoral Apóllōn". According to what Pindar, when he was born, Hermês took him to be raised on nectar and ambrosia and to be made immortal by Gaia. He was raised by myrtle nymphs and learned so much from them and his family tree. Like reading about everything that they taught him, I'm starting to wonder if Asklēpiós really was the favorite son. (Then again, they could share the title as favorites.) Specifically for this point though, he was credited with the discovery of many rural useful arts and handicrafts, including bee-keeping and he was taught by the art of prophecy from his Father so I mixed it together especially considering that Hermês had a hand in his childhood also.

2) The more I read into greek mythology especially to counteract anything that Rick wrote or expand on the things that he did, I realize that Athênê and Poseidón didn't really have a rivalry. (The entire Medusa situation was a roman interpretation and thus, it was for Neptūnus and Minerva because they are different than Athênê and Poseidón and should not be considered the same gods with just with different names because if that is the case, then boooy, The Proto-Indo-European pantheon are the same gods like Ζεύς and Odin "just with a different name".) Anyway, I'll say that they just kept themselves distant from one another like it wasn't beef. They just wasn't cool like that. (This is my personal interpretation.)

3) Greek culture past and present is something I really love learning about.